Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for August 27, 2021

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with What If...? and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Star Trek: Lower Decks and the many versions of Star Trek, Doctor Who past and present, the various DC Comics based TV shows, the new Candyman, Free Guy, Demonic, Reminiscence, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, Jungle Cruise, season 11 of The Walking Dead, Sir Walter Scott at 250, Conan the Cimmerian and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• K.T. Howard lists completed LGBTQ SFF series to enjoy. 
• Alex Brown shares ten great SFF novellas and novelettes.
• Greta Hayer talks about the importance of fantasy comfort reads.
• Walida Imarisha talks about black science fiction. 
• Linda H. Codega talks about Appalachian SFF.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares classic science fiction novels featuring planets with very long or very shot days.
  
• Zoraida Córdova shares SFF novels featuring royalty. 
• Holly Kybett Smith talks about gothic fiction and the fear of change.
  
• Sam J. Miller talks about haunted houses, cursed lands and the horrors of gentrification. 
• Gordy Sauer explains that westerns are violent because they have to be. 
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five ludicrous reasons for not reading a perfectly good book. 
• Molly Templeton explains how to pick what to read next.
  
• Christine Lynn Herman shares five novels about modern teens with supernatural problems.
  
• Charlie Jane Anders shares her appreciation for the Bending the Landscape anthology series and discusses its impact on popularising LGBTQ SFF.
  
• Phyllis Stephen celebrates the 250th birthday of Sir Walter Scott.
  
• Deuce Richardson traces Sir Walter Scott's influence on the fantasy genre. 
• Heather Cass White points out that reading and the quest for knowledge are at the heart of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
  
• Jonathan Walker talks about J.R.R. Tolkien, Christianity and the eucatastrophe.
  
• G.W. Thomas shares some forgotten sword and sorcery stories from the 1970s and 1980s.
  
• Will Oliver finds some unexpected parallels between Robert E. Howard and Louis L'Amour. 
• Ken Lizzi wonders about Conan's drinking habits. 
• Brian Kunde wonders what Conan's final fate looked like. 
  
• Ray Bradbury celebrates the 101st birthday of Ray Bradbury. 
• Michael Curtis shares his appreciation for the works of Brian Aldiss. 
• Matt Bell shares what he learned from a year of reading Ursula K. Le Guin.
  
• Sara Light-Waller revisits the forgotten 1950s science fiction hero Johnny Mayhem, whose adventures appeared in Amazing Stories from 1955 to 1958.
  
• Ngo Vinh-Hoi profiles Andrew J. Offutt. 
• Matthew Hughes explains how he came to write in the world of Jack Vance's Dying Earth.
  
• Jon Hook traces H.P. Lovecraft's influence on RPGs. 
• Mike Glyer shares J. Michael Straczynski's FAQ about the Last Dangerous Visions anthology. 
• David Nickle remembers the late Lorna Toolis.
  
• Children's book author Jill Murphy, author of The Worst Witch series, has died aged 72.
  

Comics and Art:

• Charles Pulliam-Moore shares his thoughts on X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #1. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews the graphic novel I Am Not Starfire by Mariko Tamaki and Yoshi Yoshitani.
  
• Alex Segura interviews comics writer and former Vertigo editor Pornsak Pichetshote.
• Andrew Liptak reports that Marvel has hired Walter Mosley to write The Thing. 
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1979 science fiction graphic collection Future Day by Gene Day. 
  
• Michael Gonzales shares a personal journey through the world of alternative comics in 1970s New York City. 
  
• Amanda Tanner reports about a massive Depression era comic strip scrapbook kept in a barber shop in Fredonia, Kansas.
• Goodman Games takes a look at the Conan Weird Tales covers of Margaret Brundage.
• Arnie Fenner shares a 1977 interviews with Frank Frazetta and Roy Krenkel about the Lancer Conan covers. 
• R.C. Baker shares his appreciation for the work of Frank Frazetta. 
• Joe Moe shares his appreciation for Basil Gogos' cover art for Famous Monsters of Filmland.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Rebecca Nicholson wonders whether The Handmaid's Tale will break its cycle of cruelty in season 4. 
• Cheryl Eddy declares that season 2 of Evil offers one hell of a good time.
  
• Cheryl Eddy calls American Horror Stories a dark and twisted delight. 
• Paul Levinson explains what is good and what is not good about the Australian science fiction film 2067.
  
• Phil Hoad calls Sound of Violence a neo-giallo film that's big on lurid violence. 
• Leslie Felperin calls Bloodthirsty a horror film that puts the gore front and centre.
  
• Joe Bonadonna calls Blood Quantum a fresh, Native American inspired horror film. 
• Cath Clarke calls Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon an animated adventure which focusses on indigenous characters.
  
• James Whitbrook discusses the radical sincerity of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the season 12 premiere of Archer.
  
• Dan Persons celebrates a century of animated science fiction. 
• Rob Bricken shares some early reactions to Ghostbusters Afterlife.
  
• Bob Brinkman takes a look at film adaptations of H.P, Lovecraft stories.
  
• Jason Sacks revisits the 1966 science fiction movie Fantastic Voyage.
  
• Guy Lodge revisits the 1981 horror film An American Werewolf in London for its fortieth anniversary. 
• The Por Por Books Blog revisits the 1981 animated fantasy film Heavy Metal for its fortieth anniversary. 
• A.A. Dowd revisits the 2003 science fiction noir film Code 46. 
• Alex McLevy revisits the 2006 animated adaptation of Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly. 
• Andrew Paul reports how the 1974 martial arts movie The Street Fighter became the first film to receive an X rating for extreme violence in the US.
  
• Simran Hans lists movie remakes she believes outshine the original.
• John Bleasdale interviews special effects specialist Phil Tippett.
• Katie Rife and Matt Schimkovitz share their favourite martial arts movies starring the late Sonny Chiba.
• Ryan Parker reports that Gene Kelly was not mad at Malcolm McDowell about McDowell performing "Singin' in the Rain" in A Clockwork Orange, but that he was actually mad at Stanley Kubrick, because Kubrick hadn't paid Kelly for the use of the song.
  

 

Comments on What If...? and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers):

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on the latest episode of What If...?
• Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on the latest episode of What If...? 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore shares his thoughts on the latest episode of What If...? 
  
• Ryan Van Loan discusses the role of ego (the self, not the living planet) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
  
• Tom Breihan revisits Avengers: Infinity War.
• Charles Pulliam Moore interviews A.C. Bradley and Bryan Andrews, producer and director of What If...?
• Matt Goldberg interviews Kevin Feige, head of Marvel Studios. 
• Danette Chavez interviews Kathryn Hahn who played Agatha Harkness in WandaVision.
• Steven Wong interviews Elizabeth Olsen who plays Wanda Maximoff in WandaVision and the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 
• Elise Brisco reports that Disney is pushing for arbitration in the lawsuit brought against them by Scarlett Johansson. 
• Andrew Pulver reports that Elizabeth Olsen has expressed her support for Scarlett Johansson in her lawsuit against Disney.
  
• Eugene Masterson reports that Barry Keoghan, one of the stars of Eternals, was left hospitalised after an assault in Galway, Ireland. 
• Tatiana Tenreyro reports that actress Letitia Wright, who plays Shuri, has been injured on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
  
• Jordan Moreau reports that the character of Ironheart a.k.a. Riri Williams will be introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
• Watch a trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Comments on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings:

• Peter Bradshaw calls Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings a spirited martial arts action fest. 
• Nancy Wang Yuen declares that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings brings compelling new heroes and awe-inspiring action to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
  
• Katie Rife calls Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings a martial arts movie meets superhero film. 
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw finds some parallels between Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Jackie Chan movies. 
• Chelsea Tang interviews Tony Leung who plays Wenwu a.k.a. the Mandarin in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
  
• Watch a teaser for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
  

 

Comments on Free Guy:

• Owen Gleiberman calls Free Guy one of the most original movies of the summer and also a genuine box office success, even though you can only see it in the theatre. 
• Arturo Serrano calls Free Guy so chock-full of allegories that it gets its message confused.
  
• Claire Armitstead interviews Jodie Comer, star of Killing Eve and Free Guy, as well as Stephen Graham, her co-star in Help.
• Aaron Couch interviews Matt Lieberman, screenwriter of Free Guy.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek in general: 

• Keith R.A. De Candido shares his thoughts on "We'll Always Have Tom Paris", the latest episode of Star Trek Lower Decks.
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "We'll Always Have Tom Paris". 
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Nightingale" and  "Flesh and Blood".
  
• James Whitbrook explains how Star Trek will be celebrating its 55th birthday.
  
• Rob Bricken reports that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry is getting a biopic.
  

Comments on the various DC Comics based movies and TV shows:

• Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Legends of Tomorrow.
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Supergirl. 
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Stargirl.
  
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on season one of Superman and Lois. 
• Chancellor Agard interviews Mellisa Benoist, star of Supergirl.
  
• James Whitbrook reports that season 8 of The Flash will open with a five part crossover event. 
• Molly Templeton reports that Black Canary, as portrayed by Jurnee Smollett in Birds of Prey, will be getting her own movie.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• Morgan Jeffery interviews Tom Baker who played the Fourth Doctor in Doctor Who. 
• Adam Whitehead wonders who might replace Chris Chibnall as Doctor Who showrunner.
  
• Patrick Cremona reports that Babylon 5 showrunner J. Michael Straczynski has contacted the BBC about succeeding Chris Chibnall as Doctor Who showrunner.
• Rob Bricken reports that a never produced Russell T. Davies Doctor Who script from the 1980s will be produced as an audio drama starring Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford.
• Ty Johnston revisits the 1985 Doctor Who roleplaying game.
  

 

Comments on the new Candyman:

• Peter Bradshaw calls the new Candyman a superb horror film for the Black Lives Matter era. 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore calls the new Candyman a haunting fairytale trapped in a horror movie.
  
• Anya Stanley calls the new Candyman a thoughtful if overstuffed reboot of a horror classic.
  
• Jenelle Riley interviews Nia DaCosta, director of the new Candyman. 
• Steve Rose interviews Ni DaCosta.
• Ellen E. Jones interviews Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, star of the new Candyman.
• Angelique Jackson reports about the #TellEveryone social impact initative launched by the director and producers of Candyman.
  

 

Comments on Reminiscence:

• Owen Gleiberman calls Reminiscence a science fiction noir love story that's déjà vu all over again. 
• Molly Templeton calls Reminiscence a tired mystery dressed up in nice science fiction clothes.
  
• Paul Levinson finds a lot to like about Reminiscence.
  
• Elizabeth Aubrey interviews Lisa Joy, director of Reminiscence. 
• Marah Eakin interviews Hugh Jackman, star of Reminiscence. 
• Isaac Feldberg interviews Thandiwe Newton, star of Reminiscence, Westworld and Solo.
  
• Rebecca Rubin reports that Reminiscence is a box office flop and that movies aimed at adult audiences are struggling in general.
  

 

Comments on The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf:

• James Whitbrook declares that Nightmare of the Wolf brings more than just bloody action to the world of The Witcher.
  
• Huw Fullerton calls The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf a missed opportunity.
  

 

Comments on Demonic:

• Mike McCahill calls Demonic a pulpy science fiction horror film.
• Benjamin Lee interviews Neill Blomkamp, director of District 9, Chappie and Demonic.

 

Comments on Jungle Cruise:

• Foz Meadows watches Jungle Cruise, so you don't have to, and finds it suffused with nostalgia.  
• Christina Radish interviews Veronica Falcón, who plays Trader Sam in Jungle Cruise.
  

 

Comments on season 11 of The Walking Dead: 

• Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on the season 11 premiere of The Walking Dead.
• Rob Bricken shares his thoughts on the season 11 premiere of The Walking Dead. 
• Rob Bricken interviews Jeffrey Dean Morgan who plays Negan in The Walking Dead.
  

 

Awards: 

• The winners of the 2021 Asimov's Readers' Awards have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2021 Munsey Award has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2021 Prix Rosny Aîné have been announced.
• The winners of the 2021 Splatterpunk Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2021 Silver Falchion Awards have been announced. 
• The finale ballot for the 2021 Ringo Awards has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2021 Young Readers Choice Awards have been announced.
• The 2021 Self-Published Science Fiction Cover Contest is open for voting.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• William Kent Krueger talks about the storyteller's promise.
  
• Karen Hamilton shares some tips for creating characters. 
• Karen Rose shares the secret to writing great romantic suspense.
  
• Sarah Chorn shares ten tips for writing believable pain. 
• T.J.Klune explains how grief influences his writing.
• Scott Oden shares his writing process.
• Benjamin C. Kinney shares expectations and best practices for short fiction rejection letters. 
• Stephen Womack talks about returning to an abandoned series.
  

Interviews:

• Locus interviews T.J. Klune. 
• Paul Weimer interviews John Appel.
  
• Leonard Maltin interviews R.L. Stine.
  
• Laurel Amberdine interviews Tobi Ogundiran.
• Andrea Johnson interviews Davis Liss.
  
• Janna Miller interviews Alice Paige. 
• Gordon B. White interviews Zin E. Rocklyn.
• Cat Rambo interviews Juliet Kemp.
• David E. Cowen interviews Corrine De Winter.
• The Science Fiction Book Club interviews Eric Leif Davin. 
• Cora Buhlert interviews Oliver Brackenbury.
  
• Jenn Northington interviews Jen Zink.
  

Reviews:

• Sarah Wendell reviews A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers. 
• Ralph Harris reviews Light Chaser by Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell.
  
• Paul Weimer reviews Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky. 
• L.A. Young reviews The House of Always by Jenn Lyons. 
• The Quill to Live reviews When the Goddess Wakes by Howard Andrew Jones. 
• Jason Ray Carney reviews A Sorcerer of Atlantis by John Shirley.
  
• Mark Yon reviews A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlì Clark. 
• Tadiana Jones and Jana Nyman review The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker.
  
• Greg Mele reviews The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman. 
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Girl from Shadow Springs by Ellie Cypher.
  
• Marion Deeds reviews The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner. 
• Alice Jolly reviews The Infernal Riddle of Thomas Peach by Jas Treadwell.
  
• Joanna Z. Weston reviews Finna by Nino Cipri.
• Lucy Hughes-Hallett reviews The Women of Troy by Pat Barker.
• Anthony Cummins reviews The Women of Troy by Pat Barker. 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North.
  
• Char's Horror Corner reviews Road of Bones by Christopher Golden. 
• Marion Deeds reviews Revelator by Daryl Gregory.
  
• Tobias Grey reviews Civilizations by Laurent Binet, translated by Sam Taylor.
  
• Ian Mond reviews Slipping by Mohamed Kheir. 
• Oliver Brackenbury reviews The Red Man and Others by Angeline B. Adams and Remco van Straten.
  
• Maya C. James reviews The Tangleroot Palace by Marjorie Liu.
  
• Paul di Filippo reviews Everything in All the Wrong Order by Chaz Brenchley. 
• Arley Sorg reviews We're Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2020, edited by Charles Payseur and C.L. Clark.
  
• Richard Fisher reviews Volume 2 of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy, edited by David A. Riley.
  
• J. Thomas Howard reviews the latest issue of Witch House Magazine.
  

 
Classics reviews:

• Jason Ray Carney revisits the 1936 Conan sword and sorcery story "Red Nails" by Robert E. Howard.
  
• G.W. Thomas revisits the 1937 space opera story "Raider of the Spaceways" by Henry Kuttner. 
• G.W. Thomas revisits the 1938 prehistoric adventure story "The Whacker" by Austin Gill.
  
• Kat Hooper and Bill Capossere revisits the 1953 space opera Star Rangers by Andre Norton.
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1954 horror story "More Than Shadow" by Dorothy Quick. 
• Kat Hooper revisits the 1957 space opera Star Born by Andre Norton. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the September 1966 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
• John O'Neill revisits the 1969 horror novel The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1970 anthology Orbit 6, edited by Damon Knight.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1973 science fiction novel The Sins of the Fathers by Stanley Schmidt.
  
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1979 sword and sorcery story "A Hero at the Gates" by Tanith Lee.
• The Appendix N Book Club revisits the 1982 sword and sorcery fix-up novel Nift the Lean by Michael Shea.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1983 horror thriller Pranks. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1985 science fiction novel Helliconia Winter by Brian W. Aldiss.
  
• James McGlothlin revisits the 1988 science fiction collection The Best of John Brunner. 
• Joe Kenney revisits Killer Steele, a 1990 novel in the Steele science fiction men's adventure series by J.D. Masters.
  
• The Por Por Books Blog revisits the 1991 science fiction novel Salt by Gabrielle Lord.
  
• Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 1991 Discworld fantasy novel Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett.
  

Con and event reports:

• Frank Schiavo reports that Contraflow X in Kenner, Louisiana, has been postponed to 2022 due to the covid resurgence. 
• Conflux 2021 in Camberra, Australia, has been cancelled due to the covid resurgence.
  
• William Lampkin shares photos from PulpFest 2021 in Mars, Pennsylvania, in a three part post. 
• Mike Glyer shares the line-up for the 2021 Philip K. Dick Film Festival in New York City.
  
• Katie Rife reports about the virtual Fantasia 2021 film festival.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Ashwini Sakharkar reports that Japan has tested a rotating detonation engine in space for the first time.
  
• Kait Hanson reports that ten members from Afghanistan's all-girl robotics team have been evacuated from the country.
• Rachel Scully reports that Tesla is developing a humanoid robot.
• Brooks Barnes reports that Disney's latest animatronic robots will be sentient.
• Zach Helfand reports about the Automated Ball-Strike System, an AI baseball umpire, and wonders whether it will catch on. 
• Meghan O'Gieblyn talks about consciousness and robot dogs.
• Kaye Dee shares the latest space exploration news from 1966.
• Ashley Jean Yeager shares her appreciation for astronomer Vera Rubin.
  

Free online fiction:

• "Ghost Riders at Hutchinson's Two-Pump" by Inez Schaechterle in Fantasy Magazine. 
• "L'Espirit de L'Escalier" by Catherynne M. Valente in Tor.com. 
• "The Bonfire of the Unknown and the Foreign" by Abhijeet Sathe in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "For Rain is to Wet and Fire to Burn" by Robert Minto in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "Brief Lives" by Nelson Stanley in The Dark.
• "Resistance in a Drop of DNA" by Andrea Kriz in Clarkesworld.
• "Forensic Analysis of a Body, Still Warm" by P.L. Watts in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "Anything Short of Death is Survivable" by David Anaxagoras in Lightspeed.
• "My Sister is a Scorpion" by Isabel Cañas in Lightspeed.
• "Mother Haskell" by Maeghan Klinker in Luna Station Quarterly. 
• "Osu" by Kingsley Okpii in Apex Magazine.
  
• "The Jini" by Wangari Wamae in Omenana.
• "The Mixed Medium" by Erica Plouffe Lazure in Fireside Magazine.
• "Small Worlds of Black and White" by James Van Pelt in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Your Attention Please" by Karl El-Koura in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Prepare for Respawn" by Eric Fomley in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "Mindlessness" by J.P. Reynolds in Daily Science Fiction.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Lady of the Manor. 
• Watch a trailer for The King's Man.
  
• Watch a trailer for Witches of Blackwood.
  
• Watch a trailer for Nightbooks. 
• Watch a trailer for Welcome to the Blumhouse. 
  
• Watch a trailer for The Wonderful.
• Watch a trailer for Maya and the Three.
  

 

Odds and ends:

• Smart Bitches, Trashy Books share some fannish knitting patterns.
• James Davis Nicoll shares his appreciation for the Worlds of Wonder RPG created by the late Steve Perrin.
• Lucas Blaine wonders what a modern Conan videogame should be like.
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for August 20, 2021

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with What If...? and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, The Bad Batch and Star Wars in general, the many versions of Star Trek, Doctor Who past and present, the various DC Comics based TV shows, The Suicide Squad, Free Guy, The Night House, Reminiscence, I'm Your Man, tributes to Steve Perrin and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Petra Mayer lists the 50 best science fiction and fantasy books of the past decade, as chosen by NPR listeners.
  
• Lisa Tuttle shares the best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror novels. 
• Jason Sheehan shares seven recent science fiction books that demonstrate how the genre has changed. 
• Carly Silver shares eight SFF books to read for an endless summer.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five complete SFF series to enjoy. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five post-1980 science fiction novels about space colonies.
• Matt Bell shares eight science fiction and fantasy heist novels.
  
• Jonathan Thornton shares nine thrilling last stands from science fiction and fantasy. 
• Verlin Darrow shares six SFF books about reincarnation.
  
• A.K. Larkwood shares five recent books that blend science fiction and horror. 
• Christa Carmen talks about post-human horror.
  
• Mari Ness takes a look at the Baba Yaga legend. 
• Molly Templeton talks about comfort reads.
  
• Adam Roberts explores how J.R.R. Tolkien may have found inspiration in the works of Sir Walter Scott. 
• Book Marks shares W.H. Auden's 1954 review for The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien.
  
• Scott Oden points out that sword and sorcery should be rooted in real world history.
  
• Fraser Sherman shares his appreciation for the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series edited by Lin Carter.
  
• Roisin Kiberd remembers Stanislaw Lem for his 100th birthday. 
• Deuce Richardson remembers Clark Ashton Smith for the 60th anniversary of his death. 
• Bill Ward takes a look at Clark Ashton Smith's Hyperborea.
  
• D.M. Ritzlin shares one possible reason for the premature end of the Swords Against Darkness anthology series. 
• May Petersen shares her love for the Oz books by Frank R. Baum and how they helped her realise she was trans.
  
• Emmet Asher-Perrin reports how Terry Pratchett was dragged into a transphobia controversy by TERFs. 
• A.E. Osworth wonders why so many nerds have become white nationalists and fascists. 
• Alison Flood reports about the children's picture book Mothers, Fathers and Kids from Dusk till Dawn by Lawrence Schimel and Elina Braslina, which is under fire in Russia and Hungary for depicting LGBTQ families doing regular family things.
• Mike Glyer shares a statement by J. Michael Straczynski about the legendary anthology Last Dangerous Visions.
• Lorna Toolis, editor, fan and head librarian at the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation, and Fantasy at the Toronto Public Library in Toronto, Canada, has died aged 68.
• Game designer Steve Perrin has died aged 74.
• Emmet Asher-Perrin remembers Steve Perrin.
  

Comics and Art:

• James Davis Nicoll reviews "The Vow", volume 6 of Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda.
• Crossexamining Crime reviews the hardboiled mystery comic The Amulet of Thar’ishdom by Asa Wheatley and Kat Willott.
• Rachel Cooke reviews the graphic novel The Delicacy by James Albon. 
• James Whitbrook takes a look at What's the Furthest Place From Here? by Matthew Rpsenberg and Tyler Boss.
  
• Crime Reads reports about Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?, a graphic novel about serial killer Ed Gein by Eric Powell and Harold Schechter.
• Natalie Zutter revisits volumes 5 and 6 of Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra.
• James Bacon interviews comic artist P.J. Holden. 
  
• Sultana Raza shares her appreciation for Tintin and his creator Hergé.
  
• The Geeky Nerfherder shares his appreciation for the SFF artwork of Luisa Preissler.
  
• Deuce Richardson remembers Savage Sword of Conan artist Gene Day. 
• Andrew Liptak reports that several of Liu Cixin's science fiction stories are being adapted as graphic novels.
  
• The SFWA shares its finding regarding the payment of comic writers and graphic novelists. 

 

Film and TV:

• Sam Barsanti calls Nightmare of the Wolf a fun and blood-soaked excuse to return to the Witcher universe.
• Charles Bramesco calls Neil Blomkamp's latest film Demonic a literal snoozefest.
  
• Phil Hoad calls A New World Order an impressive dystopian thriller. 
• Ellen E. Jones calls Climate of the Hunter an intoxicating vampire film.
  
• Mike McCahill calls The Green Sea a flawed but intriguing chiller directed by the current Lord Dunsany. 
• Phil Hoad calls the horror thriller Eye Without a Face an odd mix of slasher film and slacker comedy.
  
• A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife talk about the Fear Street trilogy. 
• Noel Murray calls the animated film Cryptozoo trippy but dull. 
  
• Steve Rose calls the animated film Extinct an evolutionary dead end. 
  
• Leslie Felperin calls the animated movie Around the World in Eighty Days a charmingly goofy take on Jules Verne. 
• Juan Barquin shares his thoughts on the latest episode of American Horror Stories.
  
• Rachel Ashcroft explains what she wants to see in season 2 of The Witcher.
  
• Annalee Newitz explains how fans are influencing media now. 
• Vanessa Thorpe explains why horror movies are good for us.
• Steve Rose wonders whether the horror genre has lost its ability to shock.
  
• Jason Wiese shares thirteen behind the scenes secrets from classic horror movies. 
• The Dhaka Tribune shares the ten best Lovecraftian horror films.
  
• Steve Rose is not a fan of multiverses and laments that media franchises have become so complicated. 
• Rob Bricken lists six medieval tales that deserve a Green Knight like film adaptation.
  
• Joe Sherry ranks the Godzilla movies of the Heisei era. 
• The Hugo Book Club Blog takes a look at the science fiction films of 1963 and wonders why none of them gained a Hugo nomination.
  
• Natalija Majsova talks about the evolution of Soviet science fiction film.
  
• Glen Sprigg revisits the 1963 fantasy movie Jason and the Argonauts.
  
• Cat Eldridge revisits the 1975 SFF musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show. 
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 1986 horror movie Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.
  
• Jason Shawhan revisits the 1992 science fiction noir film Split Second.
  
• Charles Bramesco revisits the 1995 dystopian fantasy film The City of Lost Children.
  
• Jesse Hassenger revisits the 1997 dystopian science fiction film Gattaca. 
• Germain Lussier revisits the 2006 action movie Snakes on a Plane.  
• Ben Sherlock lists ten things from the 1986 science fiction film Aliens that still hold up today.
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Maritte Lee Go, director of Black As Night. 
• Rebecca Keegan interviews Michael Keaton, star of Batman, Morbius, The Flash, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Beetlejuice and many others. 
  
• Ben Child talks about Val Kilmer's memories of playing Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman in Batman Forever in 1995.
• Nellie Andreeva reports that Vincent Kartheiser, who plays Scarecrow in Titans, has been the subject of several investigations regarding alleged misconduct on set. 
• Richard Orange reports that people working in the Danish film and TV industry are under pressure, because the demand for Danish film and TV is bigger than what a small industry can supply. 
• Andrew Liptak reports that Amazon has moved the production of its Lord of the Rings TV series from New Zealand to the UK for reasons unknown.
• Sonny Chiba, star of Kill Bill, The Street Fighter, Bullet Train and many others, has died aged 82.
  

 

Comments on What If...? and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers):

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on the latest episode of What If...? and calls it her favourite thing Marvel has ever done. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares her thoughts on the latest episode of What If...? 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore shares his thoughts on the latest episode of What If...?
  
• Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on the latest episode of What If...?
  
• Sam Barsanti discusses some surprise cameos in What If...?
  
• Charles Pulliam-Moore interviews Brad Winderbaum, executive producer of What If...?
  
• Inspired by What If...?, James Whitbrook shares a history of Captain Peggy Carter in the comics. 
• Rob Bricken reports that Anthony Mackie will officially star in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
  
• William Hughes talks about an alternate ending to Black Widow. 
• Devan Coggan offers a behind the scenes look at Eternals.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports about accusations that the relatively low-key marketing of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is due to racism rather than uncertainty, if the movie can managed its theatrical release.
• Elise Shaffer reports about star Simu Liu's response to Disney CEA Bob Chapek's statement that the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is an interesting experiment.
• Matt Schimkovitz shares Kevin Feige's response to some recent controversies involving Marvel Studios.
• Watch a trailer for Eternals.
  

Comments on Free Guy:

• Germain Lussier shares the not so surprising story behind some high profile cameos in Free Guy (spoilers!).
  
• Marah Eakin interviews Jodie Comer, star of Free Guy and Killing Eve.
• Rebecca Rubin reports that Free Guy has exceeded box office expectations, but that people are still not willing to return to movie theatres.
• Sam Barsanti reports that Free Guy has done well enough to get a sequel.
  

Comments on The Bad Batch and Star Wars in general:

• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on "Kamino Lost", the season 1 finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Kamino Lost".
• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that The Bad Batch is still finding its voice after the season 1 finale.
• James Whitbrook also discusses a certain location seen in "The Bad Batch" and how it impacts the greater Star Wars universe.
• Watch a trailer for Star Wars Visions.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek in general: 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Kayshon, His Eyes Open", the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Kayshon, His Eyes Open".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Inside Man" and "Body and Soul".
  
• Makeda Easter reports about the fight about the conservatorship of Nichelle Nichols, who played Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek and now suffers from dementia.
  

Comments on the various DC Comics based TV shows:

• Allison Shoemaker shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Legends of Tomorrow. 
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on the season 1 finale of Superman and Lois. 
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Stargirl.
  
• Alex Brown shares her appreciation for Harley Quinn: The Animated Series.
  
• Dan Auty lists ten proposed DC superhero movies that were never made.
• Josh Plainse reports that Martin Campbell, director of the 2011 Green Lantern movie, regrets making the film.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• Molly Templeton reports about the #FindTheDoctor event where fans can hunt clues regarding the Doctor both online and offline. 
  
• Lauren Morris reports that Fourth Doctor Tom Baker will record two unproduced Doctor Who scripts from his tenure as an audio drama.
  

 

Comments on The Night House:

• Benjamin Lee calls The Night House a muddled horror film, but praises the performance of Rebecca Hall.  
• Katie Rife calls The Night House a half-baked horror movie and also praises the performance of Rebecca Hall.

Comments on The Suicide Squad:

• Al Horner interviews James Gunn, director of The Suicide Squad.
  
• Matt Schimkovitz declares that the punk song playing over the opening credits of The Suicide Squad is a mission statement.
• Tatiana Tenreyro reports that Superman was almost the main villain in The Suicide Squad.
  

 

Comments on Reminiscence:

• A.A. Dowd calls Reminiscence an ambitious science fiction noir film. 
• Germain Lussier calls Reminiscence a science fiction thriller with more ambition than coherence.
  
• Benjamin Lee calls Reminiscence an Inception rip-off that's not worth remembering. 
• Lauren Huff interviews Lisa Joy and Hugh Jackman, director and star of Reminiscence. 

 

Comments on I'm Your Man:

• Peter Bradshaw calls I'm Your Man a laborious and unfunny android romance. 
• Zoe Williams interviews Dan Stevens, star of I'm Your Man.

 

Awards: 

• The winners of the 2021 Shirley Jackson Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2021 Tähtifantasia Award have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2021 Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2021 Bulwer-Lytton Contest have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2021 ENnie Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the 2020 AWC Animation Writing Award has been announced.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Donal Ryan shares advice for writing a great short story. 
• Art Taylor talks about writing short stories in a two part post.
  
• Bracken MacLeod explains why protagonists should be flawed. 
• The Writer asks several authors when writers should return to abandoned work.
  
• Jennifer Lyn Parsons explains how she makes her daily wordcount quota. 
• Matthew Ward shares some tips for writing trilogies. 
• Ryan G. Van Cleave shares four ways to instantly tighten your writing.
  
• Scott Oden declares that self-publishing is just as valid as traditional publishing. 
• Mike Glyer reports that the East and West Coast branches of the Writers Guild of America have joined the #DisneyMustPay task force.
  
• Elizabeth A. Harris and Alexandra Altman report that the Hachette Publishing Group will purchase the independent publisher Workman.
  
• Ed Nawotka reports that censorship is on the rise worldwide. 
  
• Andrew Albanese shares an update on the copyright infringement lawsuit against the Internet Archive. 
• Sophie Haigney reports that ARCs, which are not supposed to be for sale, are increasingly being put up for sale.
  
• Reeves Wiedeman reports about a mysterious thief who has been stealing unpublished manuscripts for years.
  

Interviews:

• Runalong the Shelves interviews Essa Hansen.
  
• Locus interviews Stephen Graham Jones. 
• Redditors interviews Arkady Martine.
  
• Scott Edelman interviews Karen Osborne, Sarah Pinker and K.M. Szpara. 
• Ayo Onatade interviews Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
  
• Runalong the Shelves interviews A.C. Wise.
  
• Tanya Tynjala interviews Edmund Schluessel.
  
• Kadish Morris interviews Femi Fadugba. 
• Andrea Johnson interviews Lynell George. 
• Oliver Brackenbury interviews Angeline B. Adams and Remco van Straten. 
• The Speculative Literature Foundation interviews Paolo Bacigalupi.
  
• Janna Miller interviews Jennifer Shelby.
  

Reviews:

• Liz Bourke reviews The Fallen by Ada Hoffman. 
• Adri Joy reviews Local Star by Aimee Ogden. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The House of Styx by Derek Künsken.
  
• Caroyln Cushman reviews Angel of the Overpass and Calculated Risks by Seanan McGuire and Trouble in the Stars by Sarah Prineas.
  
• Paul Weimer reviews The Councillor by E.J. Beaton. 
• Kat Hooper reviews Agatha H. and the Siege of Mechanicsburg by Phil and Kaja Foglio.
• Bill Capossere reviews The Rookery by Deborah Hewitt. 
• Colleen Mondor reviews Muse by Brittany Cavallaro. 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Reclaimed by Madeleine Roux. 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Desert Prince by Peter V. Brett.
  
• Alex Brown reviews The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon. 
• Chris Kluwe reviews King Bullet by Richard Kadrey.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North.
  
• Shawna Bethell reviews Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy. 
• Abigail Nussbaum reviews Tower by Bae Myung-hoon, translated by Sung Ryu. 
• Bill Capossere reviews Da Vinci's Cat by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
  
• J.C. Kang reviews The Heretic Peacekeeper by Jeremy Bai. 
• Paula Guran reviews Queen of the Cicadas by V. Castro. 
• Sean Dowie reviews Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix. 
• R. Graeme Cameron reviews Barbarians of the Beyond by Matthew Hughes. 
  
• Bobby Derie reviews Cthulhu on Lesbos by David Jalajel. 
  
• J. Thomas Howard reviews Worlds Beyond Worlds by John R. Fultz.
• Neale Monks reviews The Monster In The Mirror: Looking For H.P. Lovecraft by Robert H Waugh.
• Alvaro Zinos-Amaro reviews Roger Zelazny by F. Brett Cox. 
• Leah Schnelbach reviews Never Say You Can't Survive - How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories by Charlie Jane Anders.
  

 
Classics reviews:

• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1919 Zorro adventure novel The Curse of Capistrano by Johnston McCulley.
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1929 space opera Venus Liberated by Harl Vincent. 
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1932 Hyperborea sword and sorcery story "The Testament of Athammaus" by Clark Ashton Smith.
  
• Bill Ward revisits the 1934 Hyperborea sword and sorcery story"The Seven Geases" by Clark Ashton Smith.
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1953 science fiction story "The Ark of Mars" by Leigh Brackett. 
• Kat Hooper and Bill Capossere revisits the 1955 space opera Star Guard by Andre Norton. 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1959 post-apocalyptic novel A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1966 science fiction mystery Sibyl Sue Blue by Rosel George Brown.
  
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1966 space opera The Star Magicians by Lin Carter.
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1966 science fiction novel Catastrophe Planet by Keith Laumer.
• Robin Rose Graves revisits the 1966 children's fantasy novel Black and Blue Magic by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. 
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1967 science fiction novel No Man's World by Martin Caidin. 
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1967 gothic novel Castlecliffe by Sandra Shulman. 
• Mark Benedict revisits the 1975 horror novel Salem's Lot by Stephen King as well as its various TV adaptations.
  
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1979 children's fantasy novel Seven Spells to Sunday by Andre Norton and Phyllis Miller. 
• Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth revisit the 2000 horror story "A Redress for Andromeda" by Caitlin R. Kiernan.
  
• Jonathan Thornton revisits the 2001 dystopian novel Bold As Love by Gwyneth Jones
  

Con and event reports:

• CONvergence in Minneapolis, Minnesota, reports that a member who attended in con tested positive for covid. 
• Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia, has announced that all attendants must provide proof of vaccination or a negative covid test. 
• DisCon III, the 2021 Worldcon in Washington DC, has announced its covid policies.
  
• Germain Lussier shares the covid policies for New York Comic Con in New York City, Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, Washington, the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo in Chicago, Illinois and Florida Supercon in Miami Beach, Florida.
• Mike Chomko looks ahead at the 2021 PulpFest and ERBFest in Mars, Pennsylvania.
• Mike Chomko also shares a list of books and magazines debuting at PulpFest.
• Jeremiah Dylan Cook shares his experiences visiting the Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains, Texas.
• Andrew Liptak reports that there is a Witcher training camp in Poland.
  

 

Crowdfunding: 

• SFF writer and Hugo winner Laura J. Mixon and her husband Steven Gould need some help with medical bills.
  
• Louise Perenne, widow of the late game designer Steve Perrin, needs some help with medical and care expenses.
• Nicole Audrey Spector reports that makers of tabletop games are increasingly turning to crowdfunding to finance new games.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Eric Berger reports that Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is indefinitely grounded due to issues with the valves in the propulsion system. 
• Eric Berger reports about the progress made by NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter.
  
• Isaac Schulz shares some new revelations about the core of Saturn.
  
• Jonathan Chadwick reports that an artificial intelligence has recreated actor Val Kilmer's voice based his movies, after Kilmer lost his voice following a throat cancer operation.
  
• Corryn Wetzel reports that a a fossile of a new giant species of pterosaur has been discovered in Australia.
  
• Charlie English discusses the Nazis' war on so-called "degenerate" art, i.e. modern art.

Free online fiction:

• "A Heist in Fifteen Products from the Orion Spur's Longest-Running Catalog" by Andrea M. Pawley in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Serpentine Band" by Congyun "Mu Ming" Gu, translated by Tian Hunag, in Clarkesworld. 
• "That Which Illuminates Heaven" by B. Zelkovich in Luna Station Quarterly. 
  
• "Arriving from Always" by Nerine Dorman in Omenana. 
• "What Sisters Take" by Kelly Sandoval in Apex Magazine. 
• "The Future Library" by Peng Shepherd in Tor.com. 
• "City of Refuge" by Maurice Broaddus in Lightspeed. 
• "The Tale of Jaja and Canti" by Tobi Ogundiran in Lightspeed.
  
• "My List of Bedtime Bogeyman Blues" by Sarina Dorie in Fantasy Magazine. 
• "Alexa, Play Solidarity Forever" by Audrey R. Hollis in Fireside Magazine.
  
• "Cadaver Dogs" by B. Narr in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "Yahoo Plus" by Ernest O. Ògúnyẹmí in The Dark.
• "Coast Sunset Express" by Alice Towey in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "When the Moon Is Full" by Bruce McAllister in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Synaesthete" by Melanie Harding-Shaw.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Foundation.
  
• Watch a trailer for the new version of The Smurfs.
• Watch a trailer for another He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series.